Ariane 5 launch success

Ariane 5 has scored a double success with Syracuse 3A and Galaxy 15 with another on-schedule launch, which orbited a dual payload consisting of a military communications satellite and a multi-mission civilian relay platform.

The Ariane 5 Generic launcher lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana at the 7:32 p.m. opening of its launch window (local time in French Guiana), and flew the planned trajectory to deploy Syracuse 3A and Galaxy 15 in geostationary transfer orbit.A broadcast from ESA’s (European Space Agency) Arrianespace website showed the Ariane 5’s ascent and climbout, including the jettison of its two solid propellant boosters at an altitude of some 69 km.

Today’s mission underscored Arianespace’s flexibility to accommodate multiple payloads on a single Ariane 5 flight, as well as its ability to handle spacecraft from both civilian and military customers.

“Arianespace celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and tonight’s success is exemplary – placing our 225th and 226th satellites in orbit,” Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said in post-launch comments from the Spaceport.

ESA’s joy helped ease some of the pain from losing their Cryosat satellite, lost when its Russian built Roctot vehicle – which has a Breeze-KM upper stage – failed to seperate during its ride to orbit, resulting in the vehicle crashing.